PBS, an occasional target of political groups for the perception of bias, is perhaps one of our greatest national and cultural treasures.  The original programming like "Nature," "Nova," "Frontline," and even "Antiques Roadshow" fills the airwaves with intelligent, articulate television fare.

The "Pioneers of Television" is the latest contribution to that pantheon of broadcast goodness.

Following another PBS' hit series  "The Pioneers of Primetime" in 2005, this series focuses on the big genres that made up television in the 50's, 60's and 70's and shaped the landscape of broadcast TV forever by stumbling upon the formats what would become our evening's standard fare.  Although television has exploded out of the Big Three network formats, sitcoms like "Modern Family" and speculative dramas like "X-Files" still owe much to those intrepid entertainment explorers who created shows that are now bespoken of as legendary. 

The 1st episode which dealt with science fiction shows like "Star Trek," "Lost In Space," "Twilight Zone" and others details the path to becoming almost folkloric in nature.  It talks of the behind-the-scenes pressures and creative angst that propelled men like Gene Roddenberry ("Star Trek") to want to escape into outer space to be able to tell his tales of morality that "normal" dramas wouldn't touch.  Frustrated by the lack of network support for shows he had created previously, Roddenberry looked to the stars to deal with such hot button topics as prejudice, sexuality, and the arms race at a time when none of these issues were being discussed on the airwaves by entertainment entities.

The format of the episodes is standard and straightforward - a narrator brings a storyline to the fore interspersed with interviews from the actual stars of these shows and clips from the original programming with behind-the-scenes stills peppering the visuals.

The 2nd episode delves into the westerns that once dominated the primetime television airwaves.  

Shows like "Big Valley," "Bonanza," "High Chaparral" and "Maverick" are examined and dissected, while not in great detail certainly deeply enough to give you a sense of what drove them and the men and women who created them.

Many of us who hadn't seen these shows in first run can begin to better to understand the culture of the time that shaped these shows and appreciate the present day given the perspective of those who came before.  

For example, "Davy Crockett," which became an instant and huge hit for Disney, made enough money for Walt's still-young company to enable him to build Disneyland;  "High Chaparral" features an ahead-of-his time Mexican character in a lead role who wasn't a taco-based cliche and also a strong, independent woman (Barbara Stanwyck) in charge of a huge ranch; the odd-ball and the schlocky "Lost In Space" chosen by CBS-TV instead of "Star Trek" made Irwin Allen the biggest television producer of the time challenging what was possible in terms of TV success 

There is also a wonderful story of how William Shatner forced fearful producers to use TV's first interracial kiss (between Kirk and Uhura) in the 1968 Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" by just crossing his eyes.  

And as mentioned, there are interesting tales about  Roddenberry's quest to show material that reflected the shifting culture of the nascent civil rights movement by using the Starship Enterprise as a metaphoric model.  It's no accident that the bridge of the Enterprise featured white men and black women (the first time that a black woman was given such a major role,) aliens and humans, and Russians, Asians, and Scots.  Or that Kirk tried to negotiate first and shoot only when negotiations proved untenable.  Roddenberry's Universe was more benign than the space fare that had come before because mankind, in the 23rd Century, was considerably more enlightened.

Watching this series bring into close focus that television did much more than reflect the times - it, in some measure, created them. It seems silly to talk about an "interracial kiss" in today's world but once-upon-a-time it was not done on television - at all.  Some of the point of watching this show is to remind us of what was and what wasn't until these trailblazers put their imprimatur on the television of the time and actually changed the status quo.

Nearly 100 silver age stars will be interviewed by the time the series is finished, most in HD, with many of the clips remastered in HD.

Anyone with any interest in the incredibly creative and frustrating medium of television will find a lot of very interesting and valuable material here. 

Check the website for complete programming information.  Future episodes will include:

"Crime Dramas" - Air Date Tuesday, 02/02/11

Pioneers of TV crime dramas, including Jack Webb ("Dragnet"), Desi Arnaz ("The Untouchables"), Bruce Geller ("Mannix" and "Mission: Impossible"), Bill Cosby, Angie Dickinson, Barbara Bain, Martin Landau and James Garner.

“Late Night” – Air Date 02/15/11

The stories of Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson headline this episode about the formative years of late-night television. Merv Griffin also emerges as a key player on the late-night scene. (His interview for Pioneers was his last before he died.) Regis Philbin offers revelations about his years as a late-night sidekick (to Joey Bishop). Dick Cavett and Arsenio Hall also discuss their years in the mix, and Sigourney Weaver offers personal details about her father, Pat — the creator of “Tonight.” The episode is peppered with dozens of never-before-seen clips, including Johnny Carson performing in his early 20s.

“Sitcoms” – Air Date 02/22/11

This episode focuses on five key sitcoms: “I Love Lucy,” “The Honeymooners,” “Make Room for Daddy,” “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” The last remaining Honeymooner, Joyce Randolph, offers surprising insights into the mind of Jackie Gleason. Similarly, Marlo Thomas speaks candidly about her father, Danny. Andy Griffith offers forceful opinions about the people and techniques that made his show work. In a rare occurrence, both Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke recount their years on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Hundreds of episodes were culled for the most entertaining clips — including one particularly side-splitting bit by Don Knotts.


“Variety” – 

This episode begins with Ed Sullivan’s “Toast of the Town” and Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theater” and progresses through “The Carol Burnett Show,” “Smothers Brothers” and “Laugh-In,” among others. Tim Conway and Jonathan Winters tell hilarious stories about their variety show years. Conversely, Pat Boone offers chilling insight into early TV’s unspoken racism, and Tommy Smothers details the compelling behind-the-scenes story of his landmark show. Tony Orlando wraps up the era with especially insightful comments about the genre. The episode includes fresh bites from Pioneers’ earlier interviews with Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Sid Caesar. There’s no shortage of great clips for this episode; standouts include Flip Wilson in a hilarious turn as Geraldine.

“Game Shows” –

This episode traces one of broadcasting’s strongest genres — from its beginnings in radio through its heyday in the late 60s. Bob Barker talks about his earliest work, and Merv Griffin details his creation of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy.” Monty Hall recounts his compelling rags-to-riches story, and Betty White remembers her role as the first female emcee. Clips for this episode are wide-ranging and include Phyllis Diller’s very first TV appearance — as a painfully shy contestant on Groucho Marx’s “You Bet Your Life."